The Boston Red Sox have been active in the starting pitcher trade market — as nearly everybody predicted — just not for the type of players everybody expected.
In the last two weeks, Boston has acquired two pitchers, 36-year-old Sonny Gray and 27-year-old Johan Oviedo. Neither are the type of pitcher that is a typical No. 2 starter that Red Sox Nation was hoping for.
That doesn't mean the book is closed on that type of move, though, but moves around the league that happened in the days just after those trades were made make the trades make more sense. The day following the Gray acquisition, Dylan Cease signed a seven-year mega deal with the Blue Jays. The day after the Oviedo trade, reports said the Twins won't be trading away any of their stars.
Ken Rosenthal broke on X that the Twins will not be trading away Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez or Byron Buxton. Instead, they will build around them with hopes of competing, just four months after completely dismantling their team at the trade deadline. If the Twins hold to that sentiment, it takes two more targets off the board from the Sox.
The Minnesota Twins do not anctipate trading Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, or Pablo Lopez this offseason, per @Ken_Rosenthal
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) December 5, 2025
Minnesota will instead try to build around them and compete in 2026. pic.twitter.com/PLKIWzeJpa
Ryan not being available becomes even more troubling for Sox fans, because the team had been engaged in talks with the Twins surrounding him since the deadline. Reports that came out after the deadline suggested the two sides weren't close, despite the Sox offering two of their three top prospects. Fans had hoped that once the offseason had hit, the two teams would be able to agree to terms, with Boston now open to moving major league-ready pieces.
It does seem that Craig Breslow is making moves that are faster than the news cycle. Both of the trades he made came just a day before something changed the landscape of the starting pitcher market. They must have had some clue about what Cease's market looked like, and instead made the trade for Gray. He also must have been aware that Ryan and Lopez were coming off the market. Instead of waiting for the rest of the league to adjust, he quickly pivoted to Oviedo.
Of course, deals usually don't materialize in a day. The Sox were likely already having these talks with the Cardinals and Pirates, but making sure that they got them through before other teams got involved or prices went up.
If the Sox are still looking for a true No. 2, it won't be coming from Minnesota. Just like with after the Gray trade, though, Boston still has yet to move one of their outfielders, so the possibility remains.